Improvement in spikes



gieten SWAIN WINKLEY, O4? NEW YORK, N. Y.

team Patent No, 87,998, dated Mam@ 16, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPIRES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it kno wn that .I, Swan: WINKLEY, of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSpikes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, making a part of this speciiication, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

The said invention relates to hook-headed spikes, with barbed, or ridgedShanks, which may be driven into a wooden railroad-tie withoutpreliminary boring, and then have the head turned quarter Way round, tobring it over the foot of the rail, and the barbs, or ridges on theshank in contact with fresh libres that were previously opposed to thesmooth sides of the shank, and therefore remained comparativelyuncrushed.

In using these spikes, it has been found difcult to drive them with theexactitude required. When driven a little too far, the hook-head couldnot be turned over the foot of the rail, and, when not enough, it failedto hold the rail iirmly.

It has, therefore, vbeen found desirable to have a gauge, by which theprojection of the spike from the tie, to properly lit the rail, would beinsured, without requiring special care from the workman.

The improvement which I have invented consists of a wing on the side ofthe hook-head, which wing is formed with an inclined, or wedge-shapedlower side, so that, when the spike is placed 4with the wing over thefoot of a rail, and the spike driven home, with the wing bearing uponthe rail, the turning of the spike through one-quarter of a revolution,to bring the hook over the rail, wedges lthe rail securely to the tie.

To enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make anduse my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction andoperation, with reference to the annexed drawing, in which a spike isrepresented on an enlarged scale.

The wedge-shaped cutting-edge of the point of the spike, being placedtransversely to the tie, severs the fibres as it is driven, and crowdsthem outward, for .the reception of the body of the spike, thoseopposite the smooth sides being comparatively uncrushed.

When the spike has been drliven as far as the bearing of the wing a uponthe rail will admit, a wrench is applied to thehead, and thehook-portion bis turned over the rail, the wedge-shaped formation of thelower side of the head, between the extreme point of the wing a and thehook b, causing the latter to wedge the rail forcibly to the tie. At thesame time, the projecting barbs, or ridges, are brought into contactwith the libres that were before against the smooth sides of the spike.

It will be seen that this formation of the head permits the use ofprojections, or barbs, or ridges, on the shank of the spike, that may bemade circular, instead of helical, or like a screw, and therefore may bemade more cheaply.

With circular ridges, or barbs, the wings .may be placed on one or bothsides of the head, so that the spike may be turned in either or bothdirections.

What I claim as my invention and improvement in spikes, is-

The projecting shoulders, or rings, on the sides of the body of thespike, in combination with the inclined, or wedge-shaped head a and b,constructed substantially as described.

SWAIN WINKLEY. Witnesses:

M. RICHARD Snvnnson, WM. KEMBLE HALL.

